Website welkresorts.net Type of business Private | Founded 1964 | |
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Key people Lawrence Welk, founder
Jon Fredricks, president and CEO Headquarters San Marcos, California, United States | ||
Welk Resort Group is a corporation based in San Marcos, California that is a developer and operator of luxury resorts and timeshares in the United States and Mexico. It was founded in 1964 by famed television bandleader Lawrence Welk. As of 2015, the company has developed five properties.
Contents
History
In 1964, Lawrence Welk purchased 900 acres (360 ha) of mostly undeveloped land near Escondido, California, 20 miles north of San Diego. The property included a golf course, motel, and mobile home community. After the entertainer staged one of his shows at the site, it gained in popularity for tourism, eventually growing to include a theater, more golf, and vacation homes. As the initial property expanded, son Larry Welk, a record company executive, became the group’s first CEO and guided the company into the timeshare business in the 1980s.
During the 50 years since the company’s formation, the company has developed five luxury resorts with over 1000 vacation ownership accommodations. Ownership of the business has remained primarily with the Welk family, with seven family members and a former company president sharing 88 percent of ownership, along with 12 percent owned by employees through an employee stock ownership plan.
Current
Welk Resorts' current portfolio of timeshare resorts are based in: